Related Post
Aged care home in Melbourne goes into lockdown after worker tests positive to Covid
- Arcare Maidstone, in Melbourne’s west, sent into lockdown after Covid-19 case
- Staff member had been working at the aged care home while asymptomatic
- Letter sent to families of residents saying the venue would be closed to visitors
A Melbourne aged care home has been placed into lockdown after a worker tested positive to Covid-19.
The staff member had been working at Arcare Maidstone while masked and asymptomatic on Wednesday and Thursday.
Arcare CEO Colin Singh sent out a letter to families saying the aged care home had been placed into lockdown as a result.
‘We are currently undertaking contact tracing whilst working closely with both Commonwealth and state agencies and outreach services to support our clients and team members,’ he said.
‘At this time, there are no other cases of COVID-19 in any of our other residences and we have actively limited the movement of team members between residences and visitation since the Stage 3 lockdown came into effect.’
The worker had received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and was wearing appropriate protective gear at the time.
A Melbourne aged care home has been placed into lockdown after a worker tested positive to Covid-19 (pictured, health worker at Covid-19 testing clinic in Melbourne’s south)
Victoria’s testing commander Jeroen Weimar said the staff member went for a Covid-19 test after showing symptoms on Friday.
‘We know of course that anybody who has families in aged care will be particularly concerned,’ he said.
‘We will be working closely with them and our understanding is that the operator of this particular aged care facility has already been in contact with the families to set out what steps they will be taking.’
The news comes after Victoria announced on Sunday it had recorded five new locally-acquired Covid-19 cases and one in hotel quarantine.
More than 17,700 vaccinations were administered on Saturday.
The southern state also diagnosed five new local COVID-19 cases on Friday, four of which were close contacts of a food delivery driver who travelled across north and southeast Melbourne while potentially infectious.
The state’s health minister, Martin Foley, nevertheless said on Saturday authorities were ‘getting close on the heels’ of the virus outbreak.
Most infections are linked to Melbourne’s City of Whittlesea cluster, with cases testing positive for the B1617 strain first identified in India.
The final case was a person connected to the Port of Melbourne outbreak linked to Stratton Finance. A worker at the financial firm visited a Mickelham display home and infected a worker there, Mr Foley said.
At least 14 Stratton employees are now COVID-positive.
While refusing to speculate on an extended lockdown, Mr Foley said he was confident Victorian authorities were bringing the issue under control.
Masks are mandatory and residents can only leave home to shop for essentials, provide or receive care, exercise, work or study or get vaccinated.
The news comes after Victoria announced on Sunday it had recorded five new locally-acquired Covid-19 cases and one in hotel quarantine
But scores of Melburnians queuing for the COVID-19 jab on Saturday faced long waits after technical issues crippled booking systems.
It comes after the state’s coronavirus hotline was flooded with more than 77,000 calls in 15 minutes when it was announced on Thursday that eligibility for the Pfizer vaccine would be expanded to people aged 40-49.
The Victoria Department of Health’s Jeroen Weimar said the state was currently unable to administer more than roughly 20,000 jabs a day.
The strict measures also this weekend sparked anti-restriction rallies.
There were multiple injuries and 14 arrests when about 150 people gathered in the CBD on Saturday to protest against the lockdown.
More to come
